Tour of Britain Stage 2: Czech champ Vakoc takes solo win and overall lead

Czech national champion Petr Vakoc is the new leader of the Aviva Tour of Britain after winning today’s Stage 2 in Colne with a solo attack from the break.

In the closing kilometres, with Lotto-Soudal leading the charge behind, it was touch and go whether the 23-year-old would hold on to take the 159.3km stage from Clitheroe.

He stayed out alone in front however to win by 7 seconds from Juan Jose Lobato of Movistar, with MTN-Qhubeka’s Edvald Boasson Hagen, a former overall winner of the race, 2 seconds further back.

Vakoc, who despite his youth is in his fourth season with the Belgian WorldTour team, got away from what had been an eight-man breakaway group with around 20 kilometres of the stage remaining.

Also in that group were two riders who featured in the four-strong escape group on yesterday’s opening stage in North Wales – Tom Stewart of Madison-Genesis, who now leads the Skoda KOM competition, and Peter Williams of One Pro Cyling, who takes the YodelDirect sprints jersey.